


The Sound of Water

by Sanru



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys Kissing, Established Relationship, M/M, Panic Attacks, Psychological Horror, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 08:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13971531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanru/pseuds/Sanru
Summary: ... Drip... Drip... Drip...





	The Sound of Water

**Author's Note:**

> Been a busy past couple of days moving because of a burst pipe in the ceiling. Had to move into another unit because of the water damage in my ceiling was so extensive.
> 
> This fic is dedicated to the leaking pipe that was kind enough to drip water on my head and alerted me to the whole issue.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

It was the repetitive sound of dripping water that woke him, echoing eerily loud in the vast emptiness that surrounded him.  For a long moment, he laid there, staring up into the all encompassing darkness as he tried to piece together what had happened to lead to him waking here.  He knew he was no longer outside. The echoing sound lead him to believe he was in some kind of cavern or deep trench. The lack of light around him was to heavy and absolute.  Even outside on the darkest night there was still some ambient light, no matter how small.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

The ground beneath him was uneven and rocky.  A good sized stone was pressing up hard against his ribs near his spine.  He mind was sluggish at piecing together what had happened. He should be sitting up and checking himself for injuries but he couldn’t seem to move.  Nothing seemed to be stopping or resisting him but it was all he could do to make his fingers twitch. Curling his right hand into a weak fist took more of his attention than it had any right to do.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

That was it, they had been on a hunt.  A relatively easy one. Just enough of a hike out into the wilderness to make them sore and achy before culling the herd of guarla that had been destroying a nearby farmer’s fields.  Nothing outrageously difficult or complex. Something had to have gone wrong. Terribly wrong. 

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

It had to have been a cave in or something.  Perhaps a collapsing sinkhole he had been caught in.  Whatever wrong that had transpired its outcome was still the same: he was underground, alone, and in a moderate amount of pain.  He didn’t dare speculate on how much worse this was going to become before the end.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

That dripping noise was both annoying and concerning.  While it had been helpful in discerning the overall size of the space he was in and his location, the sharp repetitive sound was grating on his frayed nerves.  He clenched his jaw, swallowing drily as he attempted to will away the all encompassing headache he had and the macabre thoughts clawing at his mind.

The dripping could be from something running out of him.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

There was sudden movement nearby, nothing more than a soft rustle as something was shifted but it was like a deafening boom had gone off in the dark stillness.  A low moan followed it. More movement as he heard both fabric and metal scrap and drag along the stone and earth. The stillness returned for a brief moment before there was a rush of movement and sound.  The cacophony was deafening but he didn’t bother to move or react. He couldn’t. Whatever spell he was held under was still set firmly in place.

There was an uncomfortable wetness on his left side.  It was right along his ribs, running down from somewhere around his shoulder.  There was enough wetness on his forehead to start trickling down his temple.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

He wanted to say something, to find out in the very least if his friend was alright, or if they were even a friend, but his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.  His jaw remained stubbornly closed, his lips were sealed tight. He could even seem to move other than to blink up into the darkness.

It was then he realized his eyes were closing in cadence with the sound of water.  

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

“Is anyone there?” the familiar voice echoed through the stillness as if every word was an explosion.  It was like a balm to his soul to know he wasn’t alone. “Noct? Prom? Iggy?” There was more rustling and shifting as Gladio moved about trying to get his bearings in the darkness.  “Hey, can you guys hear me?”

He still couldn’t talk.  He wanted to. The dampness was spreading, radiating in an ever widening arch out and away from his shoulder.  More rivelets of liquid were running down his face and head. It was sticky around the edges. He could smell damp iron in the air.  He needed help even if he felt selfish asking for it.

He managed a weak whine in the back of his throat, barely audible even to his own ears.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

“Someone there?”  Against all odds Gladio had heard him.  He thanked even deity in existence for that as Gladio shuffled about a bit more.  “One sec… my light is broken.”

A vibrant green light suddenly flared to life from his left.  An emergency flare wasn’t the best light to see by but it was better than nothing.  It cast long shadows about the room, making vaguely humanoid like monstrosities that seemed to move in tandem with the light as Gladio made his way over.

“Iggy,” he stumbled slightly on a loose rock, the shadow creatures dancing in place as the light that created them jerked and swayed.  “Iggy, are you alright?”

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

He was most assuredly not alright but couldn’t seem to muster the appropriate negative response.  Gladio was sure to learn the extent of his injuries soon enough. 

Bathed in the greenish light of the emergency flare he held aloft, Gladio’s pinched and worried face came into view.  One large hand carefully brushed against his temple and cheek. “Shit Iggy,” Gladio breathed. He turned and set the flare off to the side, propped up with several rocks holding the base to help project what light it cast so he could work.  “Easy, I’m here. It’s going to be alright,” he assured Ignis as he turned back, both of his hands going to his head and checking it for injuries.

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

He watched Gladio’s face as it went through a wide range of emotions.  First it was worry and determination, as his hands carefully felt along his head, neck and shoulders.  That melted away into confusion as he kept moving his hands over him. Surely he couldn’t have missed such a grievous injury that would have cause him to bleed this much.  

As the seconds grew longer, Gladio’s confusion morphed into relief and he sighed.  Fingers tapped lightly against his cheek. “Iggy. Come on. Snap out of it. You’re alright.  It’s not yours.”

Then... whose was it?

_ Drip… Drip… Drip… _

As if realizing what he was saying and hearing the blood drip from the ceiling above them, Gladio snatched up the flare and held it up to better see above them.  It was hard to make out due to the ceiling height, the faint greenish light barely making it that high. Squinting, Gladio stood and that minor change in elevation was all it took to bring the culprit for the dripping blood to light.  

The shadows pulled back from the light, revealing the paw and leg it was attached to.  A head, half crushed with only the jaws and teeth remaining unmangled, came into view. The fur was matted with blood and dirt, hiding what had once been a vibrant coat of reddish brown fur.  

It seems not everything was lucky as they were when the ground gave way.

The voretooth was half crushed into the ceiling, it other three paws and most of its torso pinned between the rock above.  It’s tongue was dangling from its intact maw like a grotesque stalactite. The light shimmered off the drop of blood as it condensed on the tip of the tongue until enough had built up for gravity to pull it down.

_ … Drip… _

And land right in the center of Ignis’ forehead.

A primal cry escaped him as previously frozen limbs flailed about in a disorienting fashion.  He nearly kicked Gladio in the shin as he scrambled up to his knees. He probably would have jumped to his feet and run off into the darkness if it wasn’t for Gladio snagging him around the waist with his free arm.

“Iggy!  Whoa! Iggy calm down!”  He pulled him back against him, pelvis grinding against his ass in what would have been more pleasurable act had they been in any other situation.  “Iggy, it’s dead! It’s alright! It can’t hurt you!”

His hands clawed weakly at the dirt and rocks beneath him as he struggled to pull away but even one handed Gladio was too strong.  Had he been in his right mind, he probably could have easily slipped out of the hold on his waist, but panic and disgust had a firm grip on his mind and was refusing to let go.

_ … Drip… _

A panicked noise escaped him as he struggled to get out of Gladio's hold.  Gladio dropped the flare and used his other hand to grab Ignis’ shoulder and pull him back to him.  Ignis flailed as Gladio easily turned him over and held him close, pinning Ignis against his body. One of Ignis’ arms was pinned between them and the other grabbed uselessly at Gladio’s jacket. He held onto the lapel as if his life depended on it.  

Gladio grabbed his chin and looked as if he was about to say something but Ignis lurched upwards and pressed their lips together instead.  Gladio made a startled noise in the back of his throat but let Ignis mash their lips together. It was too rough to be an actual kiss, Ignis was doing little more then pressing their lips together until they split, the delicate skin yielding to the shear pressure he was exerting, but Gladio still had control of his chin and used it to push Ignis back a bit.  

Gladio lessened the pressure and moved his lips gently, coaxing Ignis into actually kissing him.  Ignis’ breath was still harsh but he wasn’t fighting to get free anymore. After another moment he pressed Ignis backwards, convincing him to lay back on the ground.  Using his bodyweight to pin Ignis there, Gladio brought a hand up to cup Ignis’ cheek. His other hand sliding around to mirror the positioning as he licked gently over Ignis’ lips, silently requesting entry.

Ignis’ breaths had calmed down so that he was no longer boardline hyperventilating but now just sucking in the occasional deep breath through his nose.  A moan escaped him as Gladio’s tongue traced over his lips. He shivered and pulled Gladio closer by his jacket as he parted his lips to let him. 

Gladio for his part kept the kiss relatively tamed in comparison to some of their past encounters.  This was about calming Ignis down, not to arouse him. He took his time mapping out the familiar contours of his mouth, languishly tangling their tongues together.  Anytime Ignis started to get more worked up, Gladio would back off until he had settled and then he’d move in again. 

It wasn’t until Ignis was completely relaxed against him that Gladio finally pulled back.  Green eyes, tired about the edges but no longer half crazed with panic, locked with his. “You back with me now?”

Ignis managed to nod, resting his head back into the hands that still cradled it.  

“It’s been a long time,” Gladio said smiling down at his boyfriend, a thumb gentle tracing along his cheekbone.

“Too long,” Ignis agreed, rolling his head to the side enough so that he could press a gentle kiss to that digit.  He was fairly certain that their last encounter had been the night before they had left Insomnia for Galdin. There simply hadn’t been time nor the funds for a tryst lately.  Even though both their companions knew of their relationship, that hardly was a reason for them to be intimate on the far side of the haven from them or in the communal tent.

Gladio smiled, leaning back in to kiss the tip of his nose.  “Next time we’re at a hotel, let’s get two rooms,” he purred down at him, eyes promising a night that Ignis wouldn’t soon forget.

“I’m amenable to that.”  Ignis shifted in discomfort, the awkward partial twist he was in and the rocks digging into his back were harder to ignore now that Gladio wasn’t kissing him.  “However, I do believe that we have more pressing matters to attend too.”

The lustful look on his face slid away to a more professional look as Gladio moved to stand.  “There’s no sign of Noct or Prompto down here. Pretty sure that they were far enough away from the collapse not to get caught in it.”  He offered a hand down to his boyfriend, easily pulling him to his feet when he took it. 

“Then we best focus on making our way out of here before they attempt to dig us out and cause the unsettled earth above us to let loose again,” Ignis brushed ineffectively at the dirt on him ignoring the tackiness of the clothes on his back and forehead.

Gladio scooped up the flare again and turned back in the direction of where he had come from.  “There’s some kind of tunnel leading off this way. Looks like our only choice unless you want to try digging.”

_ …  Drip… _

Ignis turned to look at the noise only for Gladio to suddenly grab his hand and pull.  It wasn’t enough to pull him completely off balance but it was enough to make him whip his head back around and look at the ground to make sure he didn’t step wrong and twist and ankle.

“Just some dripping water Iggy,” Gladio said as he crowed behind him, using his bulk to block Ignis from seeing what had been dripping.  The last thing he needed was for Ignis to start panicking again. “Nothing to write home about. Let’s go.”

While he was curious as to what was dripping it was obvious that Gladio didn’t want him to see as he was shepherding him out of the room they were in.  The tacky clothes and the skin on his forehead was enough of a reason for him not to dwell on the matter too much. He wiped at his forehead, grimacing when he felt the tacky liquid smear.  Gods did he have a desperate need to wash his face...

_ … Drip… _

If Ignis hurried out of the room a bit faster than could be considered normal, Gladio didn’t say a thing about it.

**Author's Note:**

> And you better believe that Gladio cuddled Ignis hard that night.


End file.
